Generative AI challenges traditional approaches to assessment while also opening up opportunities for more authentic learning tasks.
In this section you’ll find information on:
- Strategies for Designing Assessments
- Supporting Integrity Through the Submission Process
- Incorporating Generative AI into Student Assessments
- AI Prompting Techniques
- Faculty Uses of Generative AI
- Resources and Recommended Readings
Strategies for Designing Assessments
- Use authentic assessments that encourage higher-order thinking and real-world application, reducing opportunities for plagiarism.
- Incorporate class discussions to clarify when and why AI is or is not permitted, linking expectations to course learning outcomes and professional practice.
- Review current assessments to ensure they measure skills that AI cannot easily replicate, such as applied problem-solving, creativity, and personal reflection.
Supporting Integrity Through the Submission Process
- For assessments, faculty should/can use a multi-step process where students submit course work at multiple stages in the process. Faculty can provide formative feedback to students at early stages, which would make mis-using generative AI challenging for students.
- Faculty could request an early baseline sample of student work as a comparison of assessments submitted during the course. If the style or tone of the original differs significantly with the comparison, a discussion with the student can be had to understand the process leading to those changes.
Incorporating Generative AI into Student Assessments
Faculty members can Integrate AI use into assignments by asking students to:
- Critically evaluate an AI-generated draft
- Compare their own work to AI output and reflect on differences
- Document how and when AI tools were used in their process
Tool Examples for Student and/or Faculty Use
- AI Tutor Pro: A free personal learning companion developed by Contact North and powered by ChatGPT. Students can “learn anything, anytime, anywhere. In 30 Languages. 100% Free.”
- AI Teaching Assistant Pro: A personalized app powered by Generative AI, developed by Contact North. Faculty can create multiple-choice tests and exams with AI-powered efficiency, develop course descriptions, outcomes, and syllabi.
- AI Pathfinder Pro: A Generative AI career guide developed by Contact North.
- AI Trades Explorer Pro: Generative AI career guide developed by Contact North.
- Microsoft Copilot: Generative AI built into Office 365 tools.
Want to Try a Tool with Your Class? Contact the LDS Team. We would be happy to discuss your ideas with you.
AI Prompting Techniques
If you are incorporating generative AI into student assessments, it is important to help them write appropriate prompts. Well-crafted prompts guide the AI to produce responses that are accurate, relevant, and aligned with learning outcomes. Without guidance, students may receive incomplete or misleading outputs, which can impact both the quality of their work and their understanding of the subject matter.
To help students use generative AI effectively in their assignments, consider guiding them with prompting strategies.
Writing Effective AI Prompts
- Be specific: Include details so the AI clearly understands the task.
- State your intent: Explain the purpose of the prompt.
- Specify output format: Indicate if you want a paragraph, list, multiple-choice question, or step-by-step instructions.
- Use follow-ups: Ask clarifying questions if the response isn’t what you expected.
- Try different phrasings: Reword prompts to improve results.
- Encourage fact-checking: Request sources or verification for accuracy.
Modeling prompt-writing in class and providing examples can help students understand how to craft effective prompts and critically evaluate AI-generated responses.
For practical examples and tips on designing prompts, see Durham College’s How to Write a Prompt to Engage with Generative AI guide, available under a Creative Commons license.
For a 6:26-minute overview of Prompt Writing, you can watch this video from Skill Leap AI:
Faculty Uses of AI
AI tools can be used to support your teaching practice, saving time and helping generate new ideas.
Examples of Faculty Use
- Drafting quiz questions
- Summarizing complex ideas
- Brainstorming assignment instructions
- Rewording content for different reading levels
Resources and Recommended Readings
- AI Pedagogy Project: A collection of assignments and materials inspired by the humanities, for educators curious about how AI affects their students and their syllabi.
- The Power of Authentic Assessment in the Age of AI: Considering students’ ease of access to artificial intelligence, this article highlights developing authentic assessments tasks. Strategies and implementation for assessment strategies are provided.
- 5 Ways Artificial Intelligence Might Transform Assessment Practices: Consider five potential trends for how AI might change assessment practices: Less Grading and More Assessment, Faster Feedback, Predictive Analysis, More Differentiation within Assessments, and Empowering Students to Own the Assessment
- Assignments with Significance from Faculty Focus lists three key elements of meaningful learning tasks: emotional connection, sense (ability to connect new material with previous concepts and ideas), and significance (relevance to life beyond the course).
- Assessment redesign for generative AI: A taxonomy of options and their viability: A brief overview of options for AI categorized by Ignore, Ban, Invigilate, Embrace, Design around, and Rethink.
- Teaching Students to Write with AI: The SPACE Framework: For writing effectively with the support of AI, a look at how students can learn how to incorporate the SPACE framework (Set directions, Prompt, Assess, Curate, Edit) into the writing process.
- Assessment reform for the age of artificial intelligence: A paper published by the Australian Government Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency. This document was commissioned by TEQSA to support institutions as they reflect on the impact of generative artificial intelligence on assessment practices.
For additional examples of assessment adaptation, see Durham College’s webpage Adapt Assessments to Mitigate Inappropriate or Unauthorized Use of Generative AI, shared under a Creative Commons license.